(Dan Tri) – The Covid-19 epidemic could threaten the Tokyo Olympics, making it difficult for universities that are already struggling to attract international students, and signaling a cherry blossom season without visitors.
A traditional Japanese inn, which markets itself almost exclusively with Chinese travel companies, appears to have become the first establishment to declare bankruptcy due to the Covid-19 epidemic, despite analysts
Fujimosu Inn, located in the southern seaside resort town of Nishiura Onsen south of Nagoya in central Japan, first opened in 1956 and was initially aimed only at Japanese clients.
According to market analysis company Tokyo Shoko Research, the above strategy worked well and the hostel had up to 50 groups of tourists from China.
“It is a precious inn that our ancestors have maintained to this day, but without guests, we cannot do anything,” Go Ito, the inn’s owner, told the Mainichi newspaper.
The airport has no passengers
A traditional `inn` in Japan (Photo: JNTO)
The impact of the Covid-19 epidemic is affecting every sector of the Japanese economy, but the tourism and aviation sectors are certainly the most affected.
“I went through Narita airport yesterday morning and I saw that the low-cost airline area was completely empty,” said Martin Schulz, a senior economist at Fujitsu Research Institute in Tokyo.
The visible impact of losing tourists will certainly hurt local hotels, retailers, and restaurants that rely on a steady stream of Chinese customers to operate.
“Japan remained relatively open to Chinese tourists, but problems arose when the virus spread so quickly and restrictions were imposed on all visitors,” Mr. Schulz said.
Mr. Schulz said Japanese companies have been cautious about exposure to external shocks since the disruption to supply chains caused by the 2011 earthquake/tsunami.
“There are many companies that are also being hit hard by the crisis, but we have to look beyond the threat of immediate bankruptcy,” Mr. Schulz said.
“We have to look down the road and the Tokyo Olympics.
For now, organizers, the city of Tokyo and the Japanese government are still adamant that the Games will still take place as planned at the end of July, but at least one senior member of the International Olympic Committee
`Hungry` international students
Japan’s higher education sector, which has been hit by a sharp decline in the number of domestic students and has struggled to attract young people from international markets, is also facing many difficulties, said Mr. Makoto Watanabe.
“Many universities and colleges in Japan, especially less prestigious schools or in remote areas in Japan, have struggled in recent years to attract students from China and Korea.
“But now, they have a serious problem.
The new school year starting in April will produce statistics showing how many foreign students refuse to enter universities in Japan, Mr. Watanabe said, adding that according to his observations, “many schools
Media reports of the epidemic have triggered a series of fearful reactions from shoppers – perhaps reminiscent of the problems that occurred after the 2011 earthquake/tsunami – when
“Some sections of the public have gone into a state of panic and toilet paper is always the first to run out,” Mr. Schulz said.
Toilet paper is sold out at a supermarket in Tokyo (Photo: AFP)
Speculation about the risk of a toilet paper outage due to paper companies switching to mask production has been refuted, with an industry body issuing a statement saying that the raw materials used to produce these two products are perfect.
However, people still rush to buy, in which bottled items and clean water are purchased the most.
The cherry season is forecast to be empty
Concerns have even spilled over into Japan’s highly anticipated cherry blossom viewing season, as organizers of some of the biggest events have announced the cancellation of this year’s events.
The National Museum in Osaka usually hosts one of the largest flower viewing festivals in Japan’s second-largest city, but on February 28 issued a statement saying its gates would be closed for the month.
Other events are also expected to be canceled, with the number of people expected to attend parties beneath cherry trees in public parks across Japan expected to be a fraction of the usual number.
Peaceful
According to SCMP